


Anders' Desertion In Eight Letters

by soren_berdichev



Series: The Falcon And The Robin [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Gen, Mental Instability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:27:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soren_berdichev/pseuds/soren_berdichev
Summary: Anders explains how he leaves Fereldan Grey Warden in one of Bioware short stories. To me, that looks a lot of self-glorification and brag... So, what really happened? How could he be forced to leave, if he is Hero of Ferelden's personal friend? And why he doesn't choose to adopt another cat in Kirkwall?Here is a portrayal of events from the other side's perspective.
Relationships: Female Cousland/Female Tabris (Dragon Age)
Series: The Falcon And The Robin [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899730





	Anders' Desertion In Eight Letters

Ella dear,

I hope the weather in our fair captital is agreeable to you? I remember last year, when you had to brave Denerim’s high summer for the first time in your life, you sobbed to me and told me how much you missed your hilltop castle! Don’t worry, it remains the little secret between us! But I don’t want to spend another summer there, not a single day more than absolutely necessary. Take care my sister, remember to drink plenty of waters and stay indoors as much as possible. And, stay clear of Alienage and dock district. The mosquitoes there are horrible, as someone who lived there for sixteen years, I speak from firsthand experience. Now I am not your handmaiden anymore, you have to look after yourself, though I do hope I could still be there to protect you.

So, you are scheduled to visit Lanaya’s Clan next week? I envy you, Ella. I am always fascinated with dalish. Once I planned to flee the city and seek a clan to accept me, together with Shianni and Soris, before…well, before you know what. I don’t think any dalish clan would accept me now, but I still want to see Hallas and Aravels. Maybe you could bring a Halla figure for me? I would like one on my study table.

I…I don’t know if I should bother you with more troubles. You must already have a lot of headaches dealing with those nobles and clerics. But since you left, I find Ander more irritated than usual and even his cat sometimes looked a little spooked. I hope their moods are only temporary and nothing undue would happen.

Katalina

\-----------

My most precious sister,

Please don’t worry about me! ‘Being King is not a punishment’, I once told Alistair that. If he could thrive, certainly I could, too. The nobles and clerics are indeed pests as they always are, but I have Nightingale here to protect me. The only thing that troubles me is, since I don’t have any handmaiden to provide moral support while I meet those guys, I have to conscript little Amethyne to do that job. It makes me less able to resist her request for snacks, and a little child like her really shouldn’t have too much of such nibbles to disrupt her appetite for regular meal. But apart from that, I am fine. 

I am afraid Keeper Lanaya won’t be very happy to hear what I have to say. I want her clan to supply us with several scouts for the oncoming expedition, but I don’t want to risk her own safety fighting a high dragon. Her moderation is exactly what we need to keep dalish on our side. Lanaya might think I don’t have enough confidence on her magical prowess. Still, I would do my best to placate her. And I promise I would bring you some trinkets. Halla figure, perhaps a few pieces of Ironbark hair pins and a set of dalish gloves. And a flute for V. too.

As for Anders, I notice his eccentric behaviors, too. Wynne recommends me a promising young healer from Circle, but she believes he still needs a further year’s training before he could safely pass his Harrowing. We don’t want to risk a lad’s life unnecessarily, so that’s how long Anders needs to stay at Vigil. I have discussed with Alistair the plan to establish hospices in Kirkwall, Ostwick and Wycome for our refugee communities in these cities. Maybe we could send Anders to be in charge of one such facilities, that would make everyone happy. Kallian, you need to keep peace with him for now. Don’t let V. quarrel with him again. Keep them apart. 

Look forward to return to your side.

Elissa

\----------

Ella dear,

I am glad to hear your negotiation with Chantry and nobility for the expedition goes smoothly. I know how much that means to Nightingale, appointed to lead the effort to recover Andraste’s resting place. And I can tell, you, V. would be very happy to have a dalish flute again. I feel for our little sparrow, though, having to spend whole hours sitting in the same room with likes of Arl Eamon and Grand Cleric, hearing them lecturing you… I can’t imagine anything could destroy a child’s appetite more effectively than their ranting. 

Ella, I hate to bring bad news at this point, but… there is still Anders. I am afraid his mood doesn’t improve. You remember how templars stopped hunting apostates across the whole arling after you killed the previous knight lieutenant for him? Well, they now redouble their efforts. Anders is furious, and for some reasons he blames me. In this week alone, three groups of templars pass Vigil with their apostate prisoners. I know you don’t want more conflicts with Chantry, so I don’t accede to Anders’ demand to detain them. That’s perhaps why he is so mad at me. I am not afraid of him, but I want your opinion.

Katalina

\----------

My most precious sister,

I begin to feel alarmed by Anders’ eccentricity. You have my full support of your measure in regard of templars. We are spending a hefty cost and risking many people’s lives to recover Temple of Sacred Ashes for Chantry, in order for them to tacitly acknowledge the crown’s opinions in regard of Circle and mage issues, we can’t allow his single man war against templars to ruin our entire effort. I will write a letter to him, so he could understand my standpoint, too. In the meantime, when V. returns from her current field journey, please tell her I wish her to remain in Vigil until I return. Kallian, keep calm and watch over Anders for me. You and V. look after each other. If there is any more trouble, send a message to me immediately. 

Elissa

\----------

Ella dear,

I don’t want to be a crybaby, you won’t want a crybaby to command Vigil for you. But I am afraid Anders begins to give us more reasons to worry. He now speaks in a tone eerily resembles Justice. He talks about how wrong to allow templars to hunt innocent mages and how we continue to provide help and comfort to them. We don’t! None of those templar teams stays more than a single day at Vigil. We are treating them like any travelers who need a night’s shelter and some hot meal! But for Anders, it’s collaboration with criminals, and that means injustice. He thinks I am the one who poisons your minds, perhaps V. too, though I can’t see how V. could possibly sympathize with templars. 

We have exchanged some harsh words, and I swear, when he is angry, his expression is not like what I remember. It… it looks like the expression of that corpse! None of us except he, Justice and Sigrun stayed at Vigil when darkspawns made their final assault. Ella, you know Sigrun was fighting in another part of fortress when the ‘spawns were finally routed. Anders, Justice and a group of soldiers fought in a guard tower that relentlessly besieged by those monsters. In the end, only he alone survived, the corpse was destroyed in the battle. Do you think it’s possible…? That idea frightens me. I admit when I confront him, I am not as confident as before. What if I kill him and that thing decides to possess me?! 

There is also his cat. He must also notice the poor little thing is spooked by him, too. So, he let Sigrun take care of it. At least I wish that’s the reason, not because he is up to some bigger plan. 

Truly, Ella, I look forward to your return. I am out of my depth, sister.

Katalina, who wants a hug from you

\----------

My dear Kallian and Vela,

I am angry at myself for overlooking that possibility and wishfully assuming that spirit had returned to Fade or be destroyed. I discussed such a scenario with Wynne and Alistair, and they both agreed that could be the case. As a precaution I am sending Lady A. to Vigil. She should arrive in a week’s time. 

You need to be very careful with Anders. I know he is an indifferent battle mage, only good at healing spells. But he does have great raw power. If Justice is with him, or he is possessed by some demons, the spirit could tap his raw power to cast its own spell, which could be any, including the most fatal ones. 

I am to meet First Enchanter Irving in next month. I think I could borrow another healer from the Circle. We might need to make some donation and bribe, but that could be arranged. In the meantime, keep Anders under control. I am afraid I have to cancel the journey to Lanaya’s clan. She would have to come to Denerim and Alistair has to deal with her. I hope his Theirin charm would be sufficient.

Elissa

\----------

Lethallan,

I am blaming you for what has just happened. Anders, your pet idiot, has just attacked and killed three templars who were escorting a mage boy to Circle, presumably to be made a tranquil there. While I always abhor your shemlen, barbarian practice to deprive a person’s emotion and free will, I heard this boy had serious mental problems, and he did kill a dozen people and a templar. When I arrived at the scene, the boy was nowhere to be found, there were only his shackles and burnt clothing on the ground. Elissa, you are familiar with magic now, you know what that could mean.

Our foolish kid sister went to confront Anders without waiting for me. He attacked her, too, with no less than Crushing Prison. I don’t know if he intended to kill her, but if I didn’t dispel his spell, he might. We fought briefly, before he suddenly stopped fighting back and fled. Because the child needed immediate medical service, I didn’t pursue him. Kallian suffered a lot, but she lived, with a few days’ rest she should fully recovered.

This is all your fault. If you had heeded my advice to kill that halfwit spirit and his stinking corpse back then, nothing of these would happen. Now come back and deal with the mess you left. I warn you, Lethallan, if you couldn’t keep our kid sister safe, I would take her to dalish, and I would make sure you never see her again.

Velanna

\----------

Kallian my poor dear,

I can’t believe what pain I bring to you! Please, my dear sister, give me a chance to make amend. Vela is right to be angry with me. It’s all because of my poor judgement.

I assume Tracy hasn’t arrived yet? But she must in just another day or two. Listen carefully, Kallian (and Vela, too, I know you must be reading this letter), Seal off Vigil and put the garrison on full alarm. If Anders ever returns, don’t provoke him. And don’t attack him, even with Tracy, unless you have to defend yourselves. Wynne says an abomination that dominated by a spirit in the physical world, instead of from Fade, is of immense power. Worse still, he could be dead and becomes an Arcane Horror, who tends to hold grudges from previous life. I don’t know if that mage boy turned to abomination before or after Anders confronted templars, but he must be the one responsible. 

I am coming back right now, with several reliable mages, including Wynne. Kallian, I promise you I would deal with Anders no matter what. If he dares to threaten you, I would make sure he could find shelter nowhere, whether it’s Weisshaupt or Fade itself. Until my arrival, keep Vela and Tracy around you all time. Keep safe.

Elissa

**Author's Note:**

> 'A' and 'Tracy' are alias and nickname of Elissa and Katalina's mage friend, Astraea 'Tracy' Amell.


End file.
